The more I have read and thought about argument recently, the more eager I am to have them. Wait, that sounds aggressive. Let me start again. I am scared of arguments. Who likes an argument? The quickening heartbeat, the loosed tempers, the sweating… It’s not often a pleasant experience. But it didn’t always have to … Continue reading On argument as a whetstone for our minds
Category: Thinking Hat
On being a better pitchman for my favorite things
At least three people asked me the past couple of days: Who did you see at Red Rocks? But despite my love for Boygenius and my separate but related love of music criticism and talking about all things music, there’s a real reticence that overtakes me in these moments. And not just reticence—a verbal emptiness. … Continue reading On being a better pitchman for my favorite things
On driving low and driving high
Most days, I drive our Chevy Bolt. The Bolt is Chevy’s basic electric vehicle offering, a small compact car. For a car, it’s pretty small—so the seats are not far off the ground. That means that when I drive the Bolt, I’m pretty much as low as you can go without sitting on the asphalt. … Continue reading On driving low and driving high
On doing good vs. feeling powerless
In the penultimate episode of the Laura Dern/Mike White show Enlightened, the main character Amy scores a meeting with the CEO of Abbadon—the beauty products company where she’s held a job for 15 years. Even though Amy is leading a scheme to expose the CEO’s secret payoffs to government officials, she still accepts this meeting, … Continue reading On doing good vs. feeling powerless
On a broader definition of argument
When I hear the word “argument,” an image comes to mind. Really, a series of images. Gritted teeth. Shaking heads. Red faces. Arms crossed. Tears. Two people squaring off against each other, pits in their stomachs. Words as weapons. But that’s a limiting view of argument. I’ve been reading through, of all things, a textbook … Continue reading On a broader definition of argument
On the anxiety of the dumpster
There may be, as I've written, joy in having a dumpster in front of you house. But there's some anxiety, too. A few nights ago, just before 10 p.m., I heard a telltale metallic BOOM. The sound could mean only one thing: someone had just thrown something into our dumpster. I flipped on our outdoor … Continue reading On the anxiety of the dumpster
On 18 things I learned building a deck over the past 11 days
Use leverage whenever possible. Walk away before you get frustrated. You can use your drill chuck to pull off stripped screws. I need to buy a crowbar. Put tools back in the same place once you’re done with them. (Otherwise you waste hours of walking around grumbling over the whereabouts of the orbital sander.) Impact … Continue reading On 18 things I learned building a deck over the past 11 days
On knowing what a 2×4 is
I mean, it’s a piece of wood, right? This is me, about a year ago. Well, maybe I’m overstating the ignorance. It wasn’t so dire as that. I could probably pick a 2x4 out of a lineup or, you know, a scrap bin. But to explain what was meant by “2” and “4”? Nope, not … Continue reading On knowing what a 2×4 is
On not being handy
Oh, that I were born handy. Some people are, I want to think, even as I know they are not. There may be innate tendencies toward handiness—but there’s no a priori knowledge. No one leaves the womb knowing how to hold a hammer. So I can’t lay the blame for my lack of handiness on … Continue reading On not being handy
On the argument that performers should “shut up and play”
For several years, I was a regular reader of a country music news and reviews website that I won’t name here. I won’t name it, because it’s infamous for its combative creator and its abusive, rage-filled comments section. Honestly—-and you’ll just have to trust me on this!—I didn’t read for the venomous takedowns or snarling … Continue reading On the argument that performers should “shut up and play”
Taylor Coe 